Package



March 13, 1928.

V. W. THOMSON PACKAGE Filed June 2. 1924 I gwvvnto'p 'Vhqy fi igllze 17201215022,

duo's M114.

Patented Mar. 13, 1928.

VOLNEY WAYNE THOMSON, OF EL PASO, TEXAS.

PACKAGE.

Application filed June 2,

' This invention relates to the packaging of merchandise, particularly the packaging of manufactured tobacco'products', such as cigarettes and cigars which are more or less injuriously affected byatmospheric condi-- or by repeated handling.

tions or changes In the present instance, by way of example,

the invention is illustrated and described as applied to the packaging of cigarettes. It is not limited to this particular purpose, however, since it may well be used in the packaging of other articles, commodities and products.

Cigarettes are subject, more or less, to deterioration due to the action of the atmosphere thereon. Heretofore containers for cigarettes and the like have been made of various materials, such as tin, cardboard, tin-foil, and paper in the form of the common soft wrapper or envelope.

The present invention contemplates a package or container for the cigarettes which opens longitudinally on one side, that is, lengthwise of the contained articles, suchas cigarettes or cigars. This is accomplished by providing the package with a longitudinal line of weakening, in the form of perforations, scoring, or thelike, which extends entirely across one face of the package and the ends thereof. This perforated or indented line so weakens thematerial of which the package is formed that it may be easily separated along the line by using a coin or even ones finger nail. No part of thepackage need be removed or torn awa when adapted to be opened as contemplated by this invention. One face and the ends of the package are prepared for openingas above" described, while the opposite face operates as a hinge in the opening and closing of the package until the entire contents are removed, said hinged side, if desired, being reinforced or made so as to cause the hinged sections to close automatically. 7

When the invention is applied to packages or containers for cigars or cigarettes, the cigars or cigarettes are not. broken or otherwlse injured at their ends in being removed as is the case in packages adapted to be opened at one end. When the package is made in the soft form of paper and other flexible materials, it is easily reduced in size by a slight squeeze of the hand as art of the contents is removed. If the pac age is made of materials intended to protect the Ling the revenue stamp and 1924. Serial n. 717,886.

contents from air and moisture, opening of the package by means of the present invention does not reduce the resistance of the air and moisture proof materials which occurs in packages in which a part thereof must be torn away in order to removethe contents. One disadvantage incident to the ordinary form of pouch or soft package is that it is so constructed as to necessitate the opening or unfolding of a part of the entire end of the wrapper to allow access to and withdrawal of the cigarettes. Even after this has been done, an individual cigarette can only be removed by pinching or, grasping the exposed end thereof and'withdrawing the cigarette from the package. The ci arettes, especially in a comparatively ful package, are tightly packed, and in rasping the ends thereof and removing the cigarettes under such conditions, one or more of them are frequently torn or otherwise damaged. Another disadvantage inherent in the ordinary type of package of this character is that, when it has once been opened, b tearopening tie end folds of the mouth of the package, such folds can not readily be restored to and maintain theiroriginal closed position. This is so even though the folds be carefully pressed back into place, since they always have a tendency to again spring open and expose the ends of the cigarettes. In many instances this permits the ci arettes to escape from the package into tie users pocket. Likewise, the package being partially 90 opened, the cigarettes will be exposed to the atmosphere and thus become deteriorated. This causes the tobacco in the cigarettes to dry outwher'euponit will escape from the open ended package into the users pocket. By means of the present invention, however, it is intended to overcome these various objections to the ordinary pouch package. In the present case, as will appear later, the package after having once been opened, may then be closed and substantially sea-led, except perhaps for such slight openings as maybe present in the vicinit of thelongitudinal slit caused by opening t 1e package along the line of weakening. It is intended that the line of weakening shall be made in the package so as not to interfere with the original sealing of the package, and the latter will thus be maintained in its air and moisture proof condition. The advantages of a pack- 110 a e embodying the present invention, in w ich the package is adapted to be slit longitudinally so that the two sections thereof may be swung open to expose the cigarettes,

will be a parent. This permits the ciga-' rettes to e grasped and removed without any chance whatsoever ofdamaging them, particularly at the ends. Furthermore, it 1s im ossible, for the tobacco to fall out of the en s of the cigarettes or the cigarettes, to

Figure 1 is a perspective of the package showing the line of weakening. in the form of a dotted line; v

Fig. 2 a vertical transverse section through the package;

Flg. 3 a perspective of the package after it has been opened; and

Fi 4 a section similar to Fig. 2, showing t e manner in whichthe package will be closed to retain the cigarettes therein after having once been 0 ened.

The cigarette pac age shown in the drawing, which is onl for the purpose of illus trating an embo iment of the invention, 1s of the conventional soft type, now used by most cigarette manufacturers. The package generally comprises an inner rectangular wrap er or container made up of two oo-extensive sheets of thin paper 1 and tin foil 2. The sheets are interfolded at their ends in the usual manner and their inner edges overlapped at 3 to form a substantially air and moisture proof wrapper for the cigrafiettes.

e inner rectangular wrapper just described is usually contained in a similar outer rectangular wrapper consisting of a fairly heavy paper layer 4, on which appear such decorations and printed matter, in the form of trademarks, etc., as the manufacturer may desire, and an outer layer 5 of transparent, moisture and air proof paper. The layers 4 and 5 of the outer wrapper are folded in at their ends and overlap along their inner edges on one side of the package, as shown at 6, in order to form the completed package. The outer la er 5 of transparent paper may be omitt if found desirable, in which case the package will still serve to sufliciently protect the cigarettes means from atmospheric conditions, due to the nature and number of the'r'emaining layers of material of which the package is made.

The line of weakening, by means of which the package may be ruptured longitudinally,- is shown in Fig. 1 in the form of a dotted line 7, which extends centrally and longitudinally across one face 8 of the package and the ends 9 and 10. Preferably, the line of weakening 7 is in the form ofperforations, but it maybe made by indenting the material of the package, so as to preclude any possibility of the atmosphere affecting the contents. It has also been found desirable to provide the line of weakening only in the outer wrapper, consisting of the paper layers 4 and 5. p

As shown in the drawing, the line of weakening 7, is made centrally of the face 8 of the ackage, although it need not necessarily e so located, and just above and in line with or near the edge of the outer overlapping rtion of the inner wrapper. Thus it will e seen that when the package is broken or ruptured along the line of weakening 7 and the sections .11 and 12-thereof are thrown back, as shown in Fi 3, the

outerj overlapping edge portion 0 the in-' ner wrapper ]ust mentioned will not be damaged or disturbed. The inner overlapping edge portion of the inner wrapper, however,

will be withdrawn. from the opposite section of the package, as is clearly shown in Fig. 3. Inasmuch as the line of weakening 7 extends only across the face 8 and the ends 9 and 10 of the package, when the package is broken along this line and the divided sections 11 and 12 thrown back (Figyfi), the central portion 13 of the under face-.fl d of the package, opposite that portion of the line of weakening 7 on face 8 of the package, will serve as a hinge for the sections. This central portion 13 of the under face 14, it is to be noted, comprises all four layers of material which go to make up both the inner and outer wra pers. This portion of the package, there ore, is quite strong and will serve as a hinge for the sections of the package until the entire contents thereof are removed without any fear of tearing or rupturing at this point. Also due to the number of thickness of material in portion 13, the same will be comparatively stiff and yet sufliciently resilient to tend to close or bring to ether the hinged sections of the ackage a ter it has been opened. This ai s materiall in preventing the cigarettes falling out o the package. I

It is obvious from Fig. 3 of the drawing, that the cigarettes may be grasped and. removed from the package with much reater facility and with much less chance 0 dam age thereto than is the case :with the common type of package in which one of the ends 9 or 10 of the package, or'a portion e cigarettes remaining in the package after it has once been opened are contained in the sections of the package so that there 'is no chance of the tobacco leaking out of their ends and into the users pocket. After the package hasonce been opened as above described and cigarettes removed therefrom and it is desired to close it again, the sectionsof the package are swung-towards each other about the hinged portion 13 and the inner overlapping edge portion, or flaps of the inner wrapper then enters the opposite section 12 of the package, possibly assisted by the users fingers, until the severed edges of the sections are brought together into their original abutting relation. The 'manner in which the sections of the package are brought into closed condition and the overlapping edge portion of the inner wrapper enters the opposite hinged section of the package is clearly shown in Fig. 4.

It is to be noted that the re-entrance of said overlapping portion into the package section 12 is facilitated by reason of the fact that certain of the cigarettes which might interfere with this have been removed.

The sections 11 and 12 ofthe package having been brought back into a closed position, it will be seen that not only is the package placed in such condition that neither the cigarettes nor the tobacco can escape therefrom, but also the package is again practically rendered air and moisture proof so as to protect the cigarettes.

What is claimed is:

1. A merchandise package comprising, in combination, an inner tubular wrapper having its longitudinal edge portions overlapping each other on one face of the package and its end portions intcrfolded to form a closed container in such a manner as to facilitate the separation of the folds on the three sides, and an outer wrapper completely enveloping said inner wrapper, said outer wrapper being provided with a line of weak ening extending across said face and the ends of the package, in close proximity to said overlapping portions of the inner wrapper, whereby the folded portions and the overlapping portions of the inner wrapper are readily separated when the outer wrapper is broken.

2. A rectangular merchandise package, having front, rear, side and end faces, comprising, in combination, an inner tubular wrapper having its longitudinal edge portions overlapping each other on the front face of the package and its end portions interfolded to form aclosed container, and an outer wrapper completely enclosing said lnner wrapper, said outer wrapper being provided with a line of weakening extending longitudinally of the front face ,of the package, adjacent and substantially parallel to the edges of said overlapped portions of the inner wrapper, and across the ends of the package to the rear face thereof whereby the folded portions and the overlapping portions of the inner package are readily separated when the outer package is broken.

3. A rectangular cigarette package comprising, in combination, an inner tubular Wrapper of air-and moisture-proof material, having its longitudinal edge portions overlapping each other on one face of the package and its end portions interfolded to form a closed container for cigarettes adapted to be disposed longitudinally thereof, and an outer wrapper provided with a line of weakening extending across said face and the ends of the package, in close proximity and-parallel to the edge of the outer of said overlapping edge portions of the inner wrapper, to permit the ready separation of the folded portions and the overlapping portions of theinner wrapper when the outer wrapper is broken whereby a cigarette may be removed in a direction perpendicular to the face of the package.

4. A merchandise package comprising in combination an outer wrapper, said outer wrapper being provided with a line of weakening extending longitudinally across the face of the package and across the ends, an

inner tubular wrapper having its lon itudinal edge portions overlapping each 0t er on said face of the package in close proximity to said line of weakening on the outer wrap.- per and its end portions likewise folded in such a manner as to facilitate separation thereof after the outer wrapper is broken whereby the articles are protected, and the shape of the container is retained when the package is again brought to a closed position by the overlapping portions and the folded portions.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

VOLNEY WAYNE THOMSON. 

